Google-Places

Uses the Google Places API to get information about on campus buildings

Google Places Real-Time Data Ingestion — UBC LIVE

This repository collects and organizes real-time place data (e.g., Starbucks, Tim Hortons, campus cafés) using the Google Places API.
It is part of the UBC LIVE project, which supports lineup prediction, campus flow analysis, and real-time operational insights.

📌 What This Repo Does

• Fetches Google Places API data for selected UBC campus locations
• Stores raw API responses in /data/raw/
• Cleans and standardizes data into /data/clean/
• Contains ingestion scripts in /scripts/
• Stores documentation in /docs/

## 📁 Folder Layout
scripts/          # Python scripts for ingestion
data/
  raw/            # Raw API responses
  clean/          # Cleaned datasets
docs/             # Documentation and notes
.env.example      # Template for environment variables
requirements.txt  # Python dependencies
.gitignore        # Ignore rules (env files, data folders, cache)

Setup Instructions

Follow the steps below to set up the environment.

1. Verify Python version

python --version

3. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/UBC-Live/Google-Places.git
cd Google-Places

5. Create a virtual environment

macOS / Linux

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

Windows (PowerShell)

python -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

4. Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

6. Add your environment variables

Create a .env file in the project root (or copy .env.example):

GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY=your_key_here

Example Data Format

{
  "results": [
    {
      "place_id": "ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4",
      "name": "Starbucks",
      "formatted_address": "6133 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC",
      "geometry": {
        "location": {
          "lat": 49.2668,
          "lng": -123.2550
        }
      },
      "rating": 4.2,
      "user_ratings_total": 133,
      "business_status": "OPERATIONAL",
      "opening_hours": {
        "open_now": true
      },
      "types": [
        "cafe",
        "store",
        "point_of_interest",
        "food",
        "establishment"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "status": "OK"
}

🏗️ Data Flow

Ingestion scripts in /scripts/ call the Google Places API.

Full API responses are saved in /data/raw/ with timestamps.

Cleaning scripts transform and standardize the data.

Cleaned datasets are stored in /data/clean/.

Documentation (API notes, schema, etc.) is stored in /docs/.